Tuesday 22 September 2015

One confirmation off a decent morning

Heysham Obs
Due to mist net responsibilities, wasn't able to immediately follow up two Yellow-brow-like calls from the top path at 0705hrs and that was it, no further calls or sightings in a search ten minutes later.  Nice combination of rain just before civil twilight, then the sun covered up for the next hour before the sky cleared and a decent vis mig passage by recent standards was just about low enough to sort out.  The first hour produced some Chiffchaffs, yet more Reed Warblers and an unringed off-passage Blackcap (but only one Goldcrest), then grounded migrants dried up after 0800hrs

Office area 0635-1100
Common Buzzard - one south at 1033hrs
Tree Sparrow - one south
Skylark - one SE (first of autumn)
Jay - 2 south
Coal Tit - 6+2+3+4 south
Mistle Thrush - 3 NE high
Grey Wagtail - 17 SE, 6 of these on a flightline way to the east
Meadow Pipit - 202 SE
alba Wagtail - 39 SE
Chaffinch - 53 S
Goldfinch - c20 S
Raven  1 NW

Grounded
Chiffchaff - 10+ first thing only
Goldcrest - just one
Blackcap - on female with F2
Reed Warbler - 2

Ringing
Grey Wagtail (6), Chiffchaff (8), Blackcap (1), Reed Warbler (2), Great Tit (1), Wren (1), Song Thrush (1).  Incidentally I have not taken a Blackbird out of a mist net for 1.5 months - really low numbers

Middleton NR
0640-1200hrs
Meadow Pipit - 110 SE
Swallow - 6
Skylark - 4 SE
Grey Wagtail - 3 SE
alba Wagtail - 2 SE

Ringing
Grey Wagtail (1), Chiffchaff (8 - 1 retrap, 7 new), Blackcap (9), Reed Warbler (1), Great Tit (1), Robin (2), Reed Bunting (3 - 1 retrap, 2 new), Meadow Pipit (13), Dunnock (1).

After only one previous record of an adult, three (out of a total of 65) non-breeding season plumage adults have been caught this autumn, sticking out like 'sore thumbs'.  Three features to note here are the uniform fresh e.g. greater coverts, fully 'developed' supercilium and yellow extending to and forming a clearly defined border with the white throat.  Yellow on the juvenile becomes increasingly buffish and dirty with no clear contrast with the throat, the supercilium is not fully formed and the e.g. greater coverts are worn and tipped white (more obvious in some than others)

Would have posted pics hours ago but couldn't get them to 'stay' landscaped uploading from the laptop!!